Mr Linden's Library
by MarieeWebb
Summary: K, so, I had this project to do on a Harris Burdick picture so I did it and based it on the Night World Series, kindof.  Anyways, check out ma page, I'm looking to be a part time novelist so...  R&R, i guess.


Rashel was always quite fond of reading; it was a great escape from the mess that she considered her life. It was the first day of grade 11 and she was finally a senior at Robert F. Hall. She thought that because she was a senior she'd get invited to the popular kid parties. Boy, was she wrong. Not even the teachers noticed her anymore.

Before school actually started she was headed for the school library. She had always liked the public library better but she did want to see if they had any new books. On her way walking there, (she always walked on the first day), she noticed her surroundings; the smallness of her neighborhood, the crystal blue sky, the way the scorching sun made the blood rise to her cheeks, and those beautiful trees that everyone had on their front lawn…they looked as though they would prick you if you touched them. They were like upside down cones. They had the most wonderful shade of green…she wished she knew their names.

Before she realized that she had stopped in front of her secret crushes house to admire the tree on his property her best friend since kindergarten, Adrian, came up to her yelling "Hey, helloooo, earth to Rashel!"

Rashel looked up startled, he had broke her trance of admiration towards the potentially harmful trees. Rashel studied him, he was wearing his loose-fitted Armani jeans with his Hugo Boss t-shirt and all black converses. But that was just clothing, Rashel looked up at his face and felt a shock. He got more and more beautiful every time she saw him. With his sharp features and stylishly messy dirty blonde hair he could be a famous model someday, for now he was just a model-in-the-making and got a lot of money for it too.

The funny thing was, he was perfect but she just didn't like him as more then a friend. He, however, had a different opinion, they had just never figured out a way to draw a line. He was also popular and could boost her status, but, she just…couldn't. It was wrong to use someone, especially if it was to get to someone else.

That someone else was James, James Morgan, the guy she had her heart set on since she was seven. Things that described him, well, gorgeous, smart, unintentionally alluring, selfless, and single. He was mysterious and brooding and had a bad boy reputation.

Then she had a sudden new view of going out with Adrian, he could get her to James. It was shallow and cruel but yet, very, very desirable. She decided to dismiss the idea and never bring it up. She didn't even think it would work. She was ashamed to have even thought of it in the first place, she could feel the blood rising to her cheeks…blushing.

"Uh, hey, " Adrian said with a questioning glance as he began to walk. "Why are you looking at me like a project?"

That made her blush even more.

"I am not," she responded as though she were five years old.

That broke the tension and they both burst into giggles.

"No," Adrian sputtered between giggles, "really, what were you thinking just now?" he asked curiously and seriously.

"I...nothing, just wondering how you grew so fast this summer." It was a reasonable explanation; Rashel wouldn't have seen him because she was at her cottage all summer.

Rashel herself was very slender with eyes like a cats, green, and long brown hair. She was born in Newfoundland but raised in Caledon since she was seven. Adrian's family moved with hers when they left Newfoundland so, they were never apart longer then a few months. She considered him a brother.

"Yeah, even my mom said that, and she sees me everyday," he rolled his eyes with a sarcastic sigh.

Rashel checked her watch. Oh no, almost 8:15. I'll have to go to the library later, she thought.

"You're going to drive me to the library after school, right?" she asked impatiently.

"Sure, no problem." He said and made a gesture indicating that it wasn't an issue.

"Thanks. See you," she hollered, giving him a swift peck on the cheek.

She scurried to her locker, not waiting for a response. Rashel got through her classes and bolted to the school library when the final bell rang. She didn't find anything appealing so she left for home.

When she arrived home she hollered to her mother that she would be at Adrian's and as soon as she heard a faint, "okay," she flashed to the door and yanked herself through, leaving her schoolbag right in front of the door.

She was so eager because Adrian was her ride to the library. She spent five summers in a row reading _Pride and Prejudice_ and _Wuthering Heights _over and over. They were among her favorites and she left her soft-cover copies at the cottage as her only reading material for the summer. She was desperate for a new story.

She arrived at Adrian's in two minutes, running. She jumped into his black Porsche, huffing and puffing from the sprint, seeing that he was already waiting in it. The car didn't immediately start moving so she looked at him as to say, _Hello, start the engine!_, but he just looked back curiously.

"I don't understand you sometimes, this morning it seemed like you couldn't get away from me fast enough but now you got_ to_ me in record time." He said it like a statement.

"I…", she faltered, he's _right_, she thought. She was too embarrassed to talk to him after her 'idea' to use him, not that he would know and now she really needed a distraction so she needed him. "Sorry," was all she could manage.

"Look, what I'm trying to say is, I like you, a lot. I just want to know what you think about me." He looked down. Embarrassed.

Oh no, she thought. She knew this day would come, she just didn't think so soon.

"Huh? Where did that come from?", she meant to sound surprised but it just came out shaky and hysteric.

"I just need to know.", he whispered still looking down.

"Adrian…", as she said it she touched the back of his hand and he flinched away. That flinch sent a wrench into her heart. "Please, listen…", could she really tell him that she loved someone else and that they were just friends? It sounded too much like something from a movie.

"No, it's fine. I have my closure. Let's go to the library!", he said the last bit half-heartedly.

Rashel kept quiet the whole way. When they arrived she got out and headed straight to the front of the library where the new books normally were.

The public library hadn't received any new books even though Mr. Linden, the owner and good friend of the family, had told her that he was going to bring in a few of his own to donate. He probably had a separate section for them so she went on to look for it while Adrian browsed through DVD's.

She soon came up to a sign that said 'EMPLOYEES ONLY' in bold, red letters. The weird part was, there was no visible door anywhere near the sign, however, there was a very large painting under the sign. It was an image of stereotypical paradise, with mermaids and harmony. That made her curious.

Slyly, Rashel looked around to see if anyone was there. When she was positive that she was alone she sneaked a peek behind the oversized painting and jumped back in shock because she had been poked in the eye.

A moment later she realized that no one had poked her in the eye and that it was her own fault that the bead doorway had gotten into it. Right behind the painting was a beaded curtain to replace a doorway. It was beautiful, the way the purple and blue beads reflected the light into a rainbow that consisted of unique shades of turquoise, green, blue and violet.

She got over her wonder towards the beads and silently crept into the private room, assuming that this was the room that Mr. Linden kept the few donated books…but she was wrong.

She looked around to see shelves and shelves of dusty, old-looking, tattered books. As Rashel was looking around, a shine at the corner of her eye caught her attention. When she turned, with almost inhuman reflexes, to see what it was she realized it was just a book with a metallic cover. It was lying on a table, coated with dust, but since she figured everything happens for a reason she walked over and picked the book up. She blew the dust off and read the title properly, _Witchcraft_, it said in old-looking metallic font.

She was immediately drawn towards the book so she looked for the name of the author, to see if it was someone she knew, but there wasn't any. There wasn't any barcode either so she couldn't take it out. She couldn't just sit there and read it all because Adrian would wonder where see was. She decided she would just take it for a little while, read it then bring it back. After all, it wasn't like she would lose it or anything. She was responsible.

Secretly, she slipped the book into her coat and slid through the beads 'n' painting exit. Rashel power walked over to Adrian and hushed out a quick, "let's go," while tugging on his arm.

"Hey!", he complained. "I haven't even-…uh, you didn't even get a book…did you?", he suddenly didn't sound so sure of himself.

"Hush. Hurry.", she uttered, she felt like a burglar dressed in black but she really needed to read this book.

"I d—okay.", she cut him off halfway with a nasty glare.

They jumped into Adrian's Porsche and began the drive back home.

"So, uh, what was that all about?", he asked nervously.

"I...", she trailed off as she pulled the book out of her coat, "found this, it was in an isolated area. I couldn't sign it out so I just borrowed it without permission."

Adrian snorted, "Yeah, okay, you mean _stole_," he looked at her then, "I don't have a good feeling about that." He said mysteriously.

To be quite honest she had a bad feeling too. To hide her thoughts she whined, "I'm going to bring it back."

Adrian dropped her off at home without another word and left to go to his own.

As soon as Rashel got inside she bumped into her mom and told her she'd be in her room. When her mom asked if she was hungry she replied "no," even though she was, and scurried to her room to start reading.

She got obsessed. She read late into the night and everyday after school for a week and had about five large chapters to go, but then she found a spell. It said that to do the spell it needed to be midnight and it was recommended to use candles, then repeat these sacred words;

_Sold his soul,_

_For immortality._

_Made the deal,_

_With finality._

_But with this deal,_

_Forgot one thing,_

_His wife,_

_Whom he bound by ring._

_Killed by oak,_

_At a great feast,_

_A young one shall find him,_

_His spirit released._

Rashel didn't think anything of it so she decided to try it.

Once she did it and nothing happened she leaned back and let out her breath. Just as she was releasing her breath, a gust of rainbow mist blew her back. It came from the book which she arranged in the middle of the candles. It was like watching a human body form out of skittles except that it looked more like an angel then a person.

The spirit formed and created a beautiful person with a halo of light around its entire body. He -the spirit- had the most wonderful violet eyes and thick lashes. He was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt that emphasized his lean, muscled body. His hair was mussed slightly and as he saw me looking at it he ruffled it even more to create a deliberately charming hairstyle. His hair was a shiny shade of light brown.

"Hi," he said with a dazzling smile. He had a musical voice.

Rashel just stared back.

"Don't talk much, do you?", he said jokingly, but then he frowned.

He looked so…devastating when he frowned. She decided to talk.

"I talk.", she said. "What and who are you?", she demanded.

"I'm your best dream come true."

"Define 'best dream'", she countered.

"I'm here to guard you and help you.", he said softly.

"Like a…a…an angel?", she asked cautiously.

"Yup, kid, I'm your Guardian Angel.", he announced.

"Uh…so what do I call you?", she needed to know if he was going to be with her all the time.

"Angel. You call me Angel. And…_I can talk in your mind, you can talk in mine too._" That last part was in her head. She tried to talk into his.

_Angel?_, she called with her mind, she felt like she was talking to herself.

_Yes?_, he responded, his musical voice chiming into her mind.

_What does being my guardian angel mean exactly?_

_Anything and everything, kid. I should think of a name for you. How about…Caterpillar._

_How about Rashel._, she replied dryly

_How about Dragonfly._

_How about Rashel._

_How about Grasshopper._

_How about R—hey, I kind of like that._

_Thought you might, hey shouldn't you be asleep?_

_I…Okay. Will you be fine on your own?_

Angel snorted out loud, "Of course, sweet dreams." He smiled.

_'Night,_ she said with her mind, she thought it was so cool.

She blew out the candles and put the book on her dresser, then had sweet dreams indeed…

Rashel got up to turn off her alarm and was surprised to see Angel leaning against her bedroom door casually even though his feet weren't touching the floor.

"Morning, grasshopper," he announced.

"You're still here?", she rubbed her eyes.

"I'll never leave you, kid. I'll stay in your thoughts in public," as to prove his point, he shimmered out of existence into a mist.

_See?,_ he spoke in her mind.

"I think I'm going to really like you Angel.", she spoke out loud.

He shimmered back to his usual form.

"Hope so, now get ready for school or you're going to be late," he sounded like my mom.

Rashel pulled out a pair of baggy jeans and a t-shirt but Angel shook his head, rummaged through her clothes and pulled out a pair of ripped skinny jeans and a vibrant pink camisole that she never even knew she had.

"You could definitely pull this off, I'm here to help you with your school status, too." He smiled.

Rashel hugged him, put on the clothes and was about to pull her hair into a ponytail when Angel came and brushed her bangs down, a first, and applied mascara on her.

"You should bring out your cat eyes," he told her.

In the end Rashel looked like a model. She was wearing the jeans and spaghetti strap that Angel picked out for her with big, silver hoop earrings and had on the reddest of red lipstick. Her hair framed her face perfectly. She didn't know she could be this beautiful.

Before walking out of the house to go to Adrian's she thanked Angel once more before he shimmered into her mind. It didn't feel wrong to have someone in her mind all the time, it felt…safe and whole. She trusted Angel.

She ran to Adrian's and it was exhilarating to feel the wind on her face and the sun in her skin and best of all, a musical voice chiming in her mind.

She hopped into Adrian's car throwing her backpack over the passenger seat, all the while keeping a giant grin on her face. It was uncharacteristic but she couldn't help it, Angel was cracking jokes in her head the whole time.

"You're looking good.", Adrian observed, hiding shock while still looking interested.

"Thanks Adrian, a compliment from the source always starts a day off great," she flirted. She was repeating the words after Angel's chiming voice, she would never have flirted on her own.

Adrian was looking silently pleased the whole way to school.

Climbing out of a Porsche always attracted attention, climbing out of one with a model always attracted more, but climbing out of a Porsche with a model looking like a model yourself, well, that was pure gold.

Rashel got a lot of stares, smiles and whispers that day. She wanted it to always be that way.

The only thing she needed now was a look as in, are you Oblivious to your beauty or Aloof or Thoughtful, as though you have your own little world. She could be out there or hidden or bored or she could act like she was used to it. When she asked Angel he gave her a pretty good idea.

_How about mysterious, you seem to like mysterious guys and you do have the dark beauty looks…, _he went on. Mysterious. Now that was interesting. It just might work, James was definitely mysterious.

_How about 'unintentionally' mysterious,_ she responded back to Angel.

_Yeah, that sounds good. And you could say stuff like, 'that's a long story' and 'you don't want to know', when people ask about your change of appearance. It's true too, y'know. It _is_ a long story and they probably don't want to know, _he ranted.

She looked good and she knew it. When the popular kids started talking to her she just repeated whatever words Angel murmured in her head and watched her status skyrocket. She was so happy, who knew that a little bit of make-up and some cool wardrobe could bring your status up so much so fast? How was she ever going to pay Angel back?

_Don't have to, it's my job, _Angel replied to her thoughts.

_Angel! You can read minds?, _she was bewildered.

_Nope. Just yours, _his mental voice sounded smug.

Just then, Angel urgently told her to turn right and, obviously, she did so accordingly, only to bump into a wall and send her books flying.

Well, not a wall exactly, it just felt like one. She had just bumped into James Morgan. She got up and looked down towards the figure that was frantically picking up her books.

James handed the books to her and apologized. She thanked him and told him to not worry and just when they were about to part ways Angel told her to flirt. That was one skill she had yet to master.

"So," she said, making her voice as low and alluring as possible, "you're James, right?", she batted her eyelashes and put on a flirtatious posture.

"Yup. And you're Rashel, right? Senior?", he sounded like he wanted to say more but stopped himself from babbling.

"Mhmm. Don't see much of you around here, though," her voice heavy with implications.

"Hmmm, maybe we should arrange a party for you. My place, 8:30 tomorrow? Everyone will be there.", he sounded excited. "Do you need a ride? I could bring you over…if you'd like.", he was nervous. She had made a guy nervous!

"Actually, I think I have a ride. A nice one, too.", she repeated after Angel.

"Oh, really. And who's might that be?", he asked. He had a hint of suspicious curiosity in his voice.

"Adrian's. His Porsche. You know him, Adrian Burton."

A dark look crossed his face that reminded her of passionate…jealousy.

_Oh, Angel, thank-you so much, you're a dream come true,_ she thought to Angel.

_No problem, that's what I'm for, right?, _he responded nonchalantly.

A month went by and everything still seemed great to her until a cheerleader named Blaise threw a party and Adrian didn't show. At first she thought it was because James drove her but he really never showed.

The next day she walked over to Adrian's house, it was a Saturday so she took her time and absorbed the scenery. The sun leaking into her pores, the sound of little girls arguing the point of boys having the dreaded 'couties', bird's songs, gardens and just the essence of endless nature. The wind, the smell, it was refreshing.

She pounded the door with the side of her closed fist and rang the bell frantically with the other hand until finally, Adrian opened the door.

"What's wrong, and do not say 'nothing'. If you value my sanity and your life do not say 'nothing'." she demanded, skipping the greeting and getting straight to the point.

"Fine, although you might not want to hear it. There is something dark around you. I do _not_ like it. Ever since the day that you wore that cute, pink shirt with th-, anyways, since that day you have had something…_evil,_ around you. I care about you but there is something wrong with that witchy book you're reading and until you bring it back, just, don't come near me, alright?", he looked disgusted.

_Evil, _she thought, but Angel wasn't evil. He was good. He had helped her get what she wanted. He wasn't the stereotypical angel but to go so far as _evil? _She decided it would be safe to ask him about it.

_Angel? Angel?,_ she called with her mind.

_Yup, _he replied silently.

_Tell me more about you._

_That's all classified information, grasshopper, _he said so convincingly that Rashel let it go.

"Alright, good-bye Adrian," she said out loud.

Adrian shut the door and Rashel went back home. She was a little shaken up from Adrian's words and what he said made something at the back of her mind nag, other then that, her life was perfect.

Once she got to her room she jumped backwards onto her bed and just lay there with her eyes shut drowning in pure bliss. She was so happy, she had everything she'd ever wanted, status, popularity, wardrobe, beauty, and James Morgan.

She heard a little twinkle sound, like how the tooth fairy sounds in movies and her eyes flew open to greet Angel's spirit form.

"Thank-you, so much. How will I ever repay you?"

"You're welcome and I already told you, it's my job.", Angel was amused.

She lay back and shut her eyes, content once again. A thought occurred to her then, she had never actually finished _Witchcraft_. Her idea was to finish reading it and bring it back to the library, then she could see Adrian again and she could get to see how her story ended. It was a good story, it was about a man who live for one thing, immortality. She stopped at the part where the guy gets staked at a blood feast by his wife.

Just as she got up to walk to her dresser to start the book where she left off Angel stopped her.

"I know what you're thinking but if you finish reading that I'll go away. You should only finish it when you're sure you don't need me anymore.", he spoke seriously.

She didn't need Angel anymore, she was already on her way to the top. However, she did enjoy his company, sense of humor and that chiming voice when she wasn't sure what to say.

She made a new plan. She would read the whole book until the last page then return it to the library so at least she would have an idea of how it ended. When she told Angel her idea he snapped at her. He had never done anything like that ever, nothing even close.

And that's when she knew.

She realized in a sudden burst of what felt like a mental slap that Adrian was right. Angel was evil, he didn't want her to finish the story because it was about _him _and what he did wrong in his lifetime. The story probably didn't end well and he didn't want her to know that. He was just using her. She needed to figure out why.

Then, as though someone had slapped her again, she remembered that the spell that brought Angel here mentioned that he sold his soul to live forever but was killed by some sort of wood. That was it! He wanted her _soul. _She knew just how to stop him. Sometimes he would leave for a few hours on his 'guardian updates', which were probably just him plotting to capture her very essence, but when he left she would finish reading the book and see if she could find a spell to put him back, or maybe just reading it would send him back. Either way, he was done.

It was a long time before he left again and he left on the weekend that James and Rashel had their fight, probably on purpose thinking that she was too angry and miserable to read.

She read and read until she fell asleep on the last two pages. She had learned that Angel was, in fact, evil and his real name was Damon De la Cruz, and that he could bring on a lot of misery upon someone that he hated.

While she slept a vine crept out of her book. As she awoke the vines lashed out and strangled her to the bed. Struggling, trying to force her way through, she heard a twinkling sound and her eyes flashed to Damon's now glowing image.

"You lied to me," she spat out with venom in her now strangled voice.

She stopped fighting and the vines loosened ever so slightly.

"I had to, grasshopper. How else would I capture your…being, without a struggle?", his voice was calm, like a hunter who knows his prey cannot escape.

"Don't call me that,", she spat with a vicious glare.

"Whatever, it won't matter in a few minutes when you're dead," he responded.

"But why? Why me?", she whispered.

"Because you're vulnerable,", he answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

She was about to respond when a voice in her head, not Angel's but her own voice of reason spoke to her. _Focus, what could stop him?,_ it said.

She was unable to move so she had to use words.

"Please, stop. I can't help you, " she pleaded with wet, round eyes.

"Sorry, no can do.", he said.

"Then why did you manipulate me? Why did you give me what I wanted when you were just going to take it away!", she screamed in response.

"I needed to buy time and trust. It was the easiest way,", he responded simply in a cool voice.

Oh, she thought. It finally hit her, she was going to die. She was going to leave behind her mom, James, her new friends, and Adrian. Oh, Adrian, she thought, you told me this would happen.

He had warned her about the book. Now it was too late.

She began to get hysterical then the voice of reason shouted at her, _C'mon, you know more powerful words then that, you know magical words!_

The spell suddenly popped into her mind. She had an idea.

Whispering softly to herself, Rashel repeated the spell which was etched in her memory perfectly.

"Sold his soul, for immortality," she began and whispered the rest.

On her final word, nothing happened. Then, like last time, as soon as she gave up, Damon shimmered into rainbow mist.

Unlike last time, she was getting rid of him for good.

"_Nooooo!,_" he roared then his voice faded softly as he disappeared.

She checked her clock and it said 12:01. Huh, she thought, it was mid-night.

She saw that the vines were releasing her and creeping back into the book with a white mist. Could that mist be Damon?, she thought.

The next morning she returned the book to Mr. Linden explaining that she had borrowed it and was sorry for not asking and that she never wanted to see it again. He gave her an odd look but took the book and nodded.

She returned to her old life being noticed but not being a Mean Girl. She was happy to see Adrian again and was content with her being average. After a few parties she and James started to seriously date and she knew he liked her for real.

A few weeks after, she realized that she had never got to read the end of _Witchcraft_. It was, after all, a good book. Ah, she thought, that's just one of those mysteries that we'll never understand.


End file.
